From Boardrooms to Global Movements : The Unstoppable Rise of Bozoma Saint John

Bozoma “Boz” Saint John is far more than a name in marketing and entrepreneurship, she is a force of nature. Born to Ghanaian parents and raised between Accra, Nairobi, and Washington D.C., Boz has transformed her dual cultural identity into a powerful engine of creativity and influence. A storyteller of identity, committed entrepreneur, and commanding voice, she embodies boldness and authenticity at every turn.

An Exceptional Marketing Career

Bozoma began her career at SpikeDDB, Spike Lee’s agency, before managing iconic brands within PepsiCo’s portfolio. She went on to lead music and entertainment marketing at PepsiCo, then global marketing for Apple Music & iTunes, and later served as Chief Brand Officer at Uber, Chief Marketing Officer at Endeavor (WME, IMG, UFC, Miss Universe), and Global Chief Marketing Officer at Netflix.

Her fearless approach combines creativity, strategic rigor, and uncompromising authenticity. Beyond corporate leadership, she authored The Urgent Life and appeared as a full-time cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, proving her magnetic presence transcends the boardroom.

Speaking of The Urgent Life

In her 2023 memoir The Urgent Life, Bozoma shares her journey through profound loss, including the death of her husband, and how it shaped her philosophy of living boldly and without delay. The book is both deeply personal and universally resonant, urging readers to embrace authenticity, take risks, and find joy even in the face of grief.

Eve by Boz : Beauty, Heritage and Empowerment

After leaving Netflix, Boz launched Eve by Boz, a brand that is much more than wigs and hair care. The company celebrates the natural beauty of Black women and women of color while honoring the cultural origins of every ingredient :

• Local production in Ghana: supporting local hair artisans and creating jobs at the heart of her roots.
• Celebrating Black hair diversity: offering high-end wigs and extensions that respect natural textures while encouraging creativity and style.
• A message of pride: named after her daughter, Eve embodies the passing of confidence and dignity to the next generation.

Eve by Boz is an entrepreneurial manifesto, leveraging global business tools to amplify African communities’ voices and value while placing them at the center of creation and profit.

A Strong and Unapologetic Character

Bozoma is known for her charisma and refusal to conform:

• At work: bold outfits, striking hairstyles, and jewelry often crafted by African designers.
• In speech: direct and unfiltered, addressing racism, sexism, and grief with disarming honesty.
• In life: after losing her husband, she pursued a demanding career while raising her daughter alone, transforming pain into creative fuel.

Her strength is not only resilience, it is magnetic. She commands respect by fully embodying what she stands for: authenticity and the power of identity.

Global Recognition and Engagement

Bozoma’s accolades include induction into the Marketing Hall of Fame and the American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Achievement, recognition by Forbes as the world’s most influential CMO, and Billboard’s Women in Music Hall of Fame. Harvard Business School published a case study on her leadership, inspiring the program The Anatomy of a Badass, and she leads The Badass Workshop, training on success and building life on one’s own terms.

She also serves as an ambassador of the African Diaspora and Special Envoy to the President of Ghana, supports philanthropic initiatives such as Pencils of Promise in Ghana, and sits on multiple boards, including Vital Voices, Soho House, the CFDA Black Advisory Board, and Wesleyan University’s Board of Trustees.

Her Greatest Pride : Motherhood

Despite her remarkable achievements, Bozoma considers her most important role that of mother to her daughter Lael. It is in this role that she finds her deepest pride and daily inspiration.

Bozoma Saint John is not only an ambassador of Afroglobal culture, she is one of its architects : a model of Afro-Western success, a voice for empowering Black women, an entrepreneur reinvesting in her roots, and a public figure normalizing difference in spaces of power.

Watch our favorite conversation between Bozoma Saint John and Emma Grede, where two trailblazing women share bold insights on leadership, identity, and building purposeful brands :